Hybrid cars entered a new market segment this week. Toyota introduced a "gateway" vehicle that's designed to draw younger, less affluent buyers into the hybrid fold.
The Prius c, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show on Tuesday, is a more fuel-efficient version of the hugely successful Prius with a manufacturer's price of less than $19,000. Measuring 19 inches shorter and weighing about 542 pounds less than the standard Prius, the c will predominantly be aimed at city drivers who are looking for more fuel efficiency and a smaller price tag.
"It's priced and packaged for younger buyers on a tight budget," Toyota president Jim Lentz said in an official introduction before approximately 600 journalists. The c is a "gateway" vehicle that will fill a gap at the lower end of the hybrid spectrum, he said -- up to now, hybrids have been aimed primarily at the midsized and luxury markets.
Toyota calls the new Prius c a "gateway" vehicle for younger, less affluent hybrid adopters.
Source: Toyota
The new vehicle will use Toyota's well-known Hybrid Synergy Drive to hit a fuel efficiency target of 53mpg in the city. The drive integrates a gasoline engine, an electric motor with continuously variable transaxle, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a power inverter, a DC/DC converter, and a hybrid control computer. The gasoline engine and motor-generator will be smaller than those of the standard Prius, resulting in a total system output of 99hp, versus 134hp for the standard Prius.
Despite the growing popularity of lithium-ion batteries in electrified vehicles, Toyota engineers decided to employ nickel-metal hydride batteries on the c, just as they have on all other Priuses, except for the plug-in Prius PHV.
I've often heard that the Prius was a very noisy car to ride in, even though it doesn't make any engine noise when coasting at 5-10 mph. Chuck, is this true, and, if so, has Toyota ever addressed this issue, especially with its newer models?
If they can sell it for under $19,000, I will seriously consider making a Prius my next car purchase. Up to now, I considered a hybrid to be out of my price range - and with plenty of non-hybrid small cars on the market getting great gas milage, it seemed like a hybrid powertrain wasn't worth the cost premium. But at thiis price, I'd be very interested.
I like the look of this Prius--it definitely captures some of that sporty, minimialist look that seems to be a must among a lot of the cooler, boxy vehicles that appeal to the younger crowd. So with this Prius model, there is no charging--the hybrid approach means the gasoline engine charges the battery when in motion, right? Having to keep the vehicle charged would be a big problem since many citites still don't have adequate charging infrastructure available and younger buyers don't typically own homes where they can create that infrastructure on their own.
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